


28 Days Out to Sea

by yoshi09



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Other, all chapters imply Harry/Louis are together, drabble #7 is pretty heavy on the Ziam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4533000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshi09/pseuds/yoshi09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of 28 drabbles under 1000 words written for personal writing warm ups. Prompts are chapter names. </p><p>---</p><p>Current drabble prompt + preview:</p><p> </p><p>Prompt: Instagram Direct Messages</p><p> </p><p>fakeliampayne: Nice wedding cancel mate x</p><p>niallhoran: im buyin drinks Zayn’s place at 4 ?</p><p>harrystyles: Zayn did you get my text?</p><p>niazkilam: Yeah . 4 is early for drinkibg ? Thanks guys . Thanks Liam.</p><p>louist91: Payno gets a personal shoutout . ;)</p><p>niazkilam: shut up</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Are you excited to sleep?"

**Author's Note:**

> Most prompts are from a book gifted to me called "642 Things to Write About" but sometimes from offhand comments people say (my sleepy boyfriend was responsible for the first one: "Are you excited to sleep?"). <3

**Prompt: "Are you excited to sleep?"**

Harry got out of the shower ten minutes after he entered it, steam curling after him as he opened the door and shivered his way from bathroom tile to hotel room carpet. He was rubbing his hair with the towel, the rest of him bare. “Shower’s free.” Harry mumbled, reaching to grab his hair brush from his bag.

He was still feeling keyed up, running on the remaining fumes of adrenaline that he associated with concert performances. The energy of the crowd tonight was an endless, electric loop between him and his bandmates and even after working the audience with every fibre of his being there was a residual current that was leftover, the feeling Harry could only describe as a high. Usually he would divert it into something else-- an after party, a late dinner in some hole-in-the-wall restaurant with his bandmates, a shag in their shared dressing room, fingers grasping, hips rolling, worried lips, bruised hips, sweat--

His eyes drifted to Louis.

Louis was the only person in the world he knew who could keep up with him on concert nights, 9 times out of 10.

That person was currently a motionless lump beneath the comforter of the bed closest to the window. For appearances of course. When management reserves three rooms for four members less eyebrows are raised when one of the rooms has twin beds. Besides, Harry didn’t mind the extra sitting space when Niall or Liam decided to come by for the company, nor was he going to complain when the second bed doubled as a table for his luggage. Like now.

Louis rolled over and sighed, as if Harry’s private thoughts on beds and not what he could be doing with him on one was offensive and Harry licked his lips unconsciously.

Just how tired was Louis? Really?

Hypotheses were more fun when tested.

Harry stopped towelling off his hair and threw it somewhere behind him, doing a running start to jump on the edge of the bed and pounce on top of Louis. “Shower’s feeling lonely. Could use some company. I can help.” Harry’s lines weren’t as bad as everyone makes them out to be. That one was actually pretty good, he’d say. It’d get Liam to laugh at least--

Louis jerked beneath the sudden weight, moaning in what sounded like actual sleepiness and not pleasure, which would be discouraging if it wasn’t so damn endearing.

Louis blinked up at him blearily, eyes squinting against the dim lamp light. “Mohnin’ ahhreddy?”

“Yes. Three in the morning.” he bounced compellingly against Louis’ thighs, testing Louis’ mood.

“Bloody hell.” Louis whispered affectionately, words punctuated with a soft, drowsy laugh, looking down where Harry was ready and willing. He reached for Harry’s arms and dragged him down into a warm, sleepy hug. He smelled like sweat and was still in the clothes he hastily changed into right after the concert. It took about three seconds just lying naked on his chest, Louis’ breathing starting to even out again, before Harry realized:

Okay. So tonight was the 1 time out of 10.

Harry dropped a chaste kiss on Louis’ lips, rolled off him to finish drying his hair and leave Louis to sleep but Louis caught his hand before he could get very far.

“Come,” the older man said simply, the word soft against the pillow. “Cuddle.”

Who was he to decline such an offer?

It took Louis one half-hearted tug of his hand, before Harry was climbing back onto the bed and under the comforter to face him, Louis automatically cuddling into his arm where Harry instinctively slipped it beneath his boyfriend’s cheek. Harry pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Are you excited, babe?” Louis murmured in reply, eyes closed, words so light and breathy it was impressive how it carried the weight of his exhaustion with it, “Are you excited to sleep?”

It was tantamount to how tired Louis was that his questions were about as coherent as Harry was on an interview day-- an opportunity rarely presented that Louis would take full advantage of if their positions were switched. Naturally then, so should he. There were many things Harry could jab playfully at-- Louis’ smelly socks tangled in the duvet, Louis’ dry concert sweat all over the clean sheets, how Louis’ forehead felt something like an oily McDonald’s fry left out for two hours-- but all of those words caught in his throat and never made it past Harry’s smile.

What came out instead was a measured, “Yeah.” ten seconds too late. Louis didn’t respond, his breathing already evened out. Harry’s eyes traced his features, hand coming up tentatively to brush Louis’ sweat-matted fringe away from his brow.

“I love you.” he said quietly, as if Louis could hear him, as if he might actually wake Louis from the first real sleep he’s had in days.

Harry didn’t know how long he stayed like that, trying to remain as still as possible, despite the uncomfortable position, the promise of a dead arm in the morning as Louis used it as a pillow, but he didn’t want to risk waking him again. Harry’s last idle thought before sleep was how he should get his rose tattoo retouched, his finger following the outline of Louis’ dagger.


	2. An Unexpected Gift

**Prompt: An unexpected gift.**

“A cactus.” Louis deadpanned. He wasn’t the best actor but he was really hoping, for Niall’s benefit, that the forced expression he had on his face looked more like a smile and less like the grimace he felt tugging at his mouth. “How uh… original.” 

“Yeah.” Niall said, lucky for Louis, his bandmate was too focused on tuning his guitar to pay attention to any expression on his face, “They’re harder to kill than that goldfish Liam gifted you two last year. Requires less water. 

“Thanks.”

The monotony was lost on his blond friend. “Welcome.” He strummed a chord on his guitar experimentally. 

First off, no one asked his bandmates to make it a thing to give them anniversary gifts (“We were there since the beginning, I feel like we should be involved.” Liam had said the first year), and aside from that time when Zayn gave them corresponding Louis <3 Harry and Harry <3 Louis shirts, Harry wearing his at a fan signing-- it would be embarrassing if it wasn’t so adorable-- their gifting ideas were… different. It felt like a running inside joke that he and Harry were not part of, ranging from a badminton calendar to, well, this cactus. Before Louis could dispose of it in the bin, Harry swooped in to save it, small unassuming potted plant cradled in two open palms.

“Lou--” Harry began, an undercurrent of laughter already burbling through the name. Louis had a feeling where this was going. “Don’t be a _prick_.” 

Louis just looked at him with as flat an expression as possible. Niall let out a guffaw and Harry turned to give him a full grin of his appreciation.

“Thank you, Niall. It’s nice to know someone likes…” Harry hefted the cactus into one hand, “ _Dry_ humor.”

It was so bad Louis’ mouth twitched upward into a quick smile before he could stop it. Niall was laughing harder now. Louis pressed his lips together to prevent himself from following suit, mostly because Niall’s laugh was infectious right now, and he will not dignify that… that thing Harry calls a pun, with his approval. He needed to find an exit. Now. “I’m going to find Liam. He went out for a smoke, yeah?" 

He was leaving the room when Harry called after him, “What? You’re going to _desert_ us?”

Louis was sure Harry heard him laughing in the hallway.


	3. What you would run out of the house with if your house caught on fire.

**Prompt:** **What you would run out of the house with if your house caught on fire.**

It was a small kitchen fire, that may or may not have been started by Louis (One, Harry should know better than to ask Louis to watch the pan. And two, the pancakes didn’t smell burnt when the fire alarm went off). But they all evacuated from the house in a flourish. The firefighters gave them a stern warning about how lucky they were that no serious damage was done and how they should change the batteries in their fire alarm and it was only as they made their way back up to Harry and Louis’ shared flat did they start taking notice of what they each brought with them.

Liam had brought his phone and coat, but left his shoes. The ground was freezing, or so he kept telling everyone.

Zayn had the wireless playstation controller he was playing with. Zayn was laughing at himself as much as Harry was.

Niall brought his guitar, naturally. Good man. Good instincts.

Harry brought his phone that he was already holding when the fire alarm went off, and a bottle of liquor he had been pouring. Ah did Louis love him. Priorities straight, that one.

Louis? He brought his jumper obviously. It was cold. Oh, and the framed picture of him with Harry taken on September 28th, 2013.

“Awwwww.” Zayn cooed.

“I think Louis wins.” Liam agreed.

Niall laughed and moved to shove Harry closer to Louis, and when their arms bumped, Harry automatically interlaced his fingers with his, squeezing, all smiles and large warm eyes.

They went back into the kitchen to survey the damage of the burned pot in the kitchen, hip to hip, while the rest of the boys opened the windows.


	4. Your most transcendent ice cream experience.

**Prompt: Your most transcendent ice cream experience.**

“It’s quite good.” Harry said, offering a scoop to Liam.

“What is it?” Even as he was asking he was already leaning in to take a bite. “Oh. Hm. That’s… I expected mint. It’s uh… kind of nutty?”

“Pistachio.” Louis said, “Almost as good as the ice cream in Italy.”

Liam and Harry stared at Louis for a beat.

“Gelato,” Harry corrected.

“Gelato.” Liam echoed.

“Oh who bloody cares, it’s the same thing--”

“It’s not.” Harry defended, voice flat as ever.

Louis rolled his eyes. “They’re cold desserts, they look exactly the same, they contain milk--”

“But, gelato is churned slower. And chilled at a higher temperature so it’s silkier and smoother--”

“They taste exactly the same, H.”

“The taste is stronger in gelato, Lou."

“Agree with Harry, the taste is stronger.” In the middle of their disagreement Liam somehow wound up with both their gelato cones where he was licking one then the other with a smirk on his face. They both swiped their cones from him at exactly the same time.


	5. Six Word Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrote five of them because this is prompt #5. =)

**Prompt: Six Word Story (write a story using only six words)**

 

He hid their vows within lyrics.

 

Even tattoos fade, without proper care.

 

The ocean's unforgiving, but we float.

 

“I’d marry you, Harry.” He did.

 

A lifetime holding hands, without rings.


	6. It was the first time he had ever gotten into a fight, and it was in a ___ of all places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is heavier content than the previous chapters. Involves sexual assault.

**Prompt: It was the first time he had ever gotten into a fight, and it was in a ___ of all places.**

 

“Zayn, Zayn--” Louis's voice was attempting to be soothing but it was lost with the rapid succession in which he said his friend’s name. “Zayn--” he tugged at Zayn’s elbow, grip tight. “He barely touched me, I swear it--” Lies were easier when they were said faster.

“Sod off, Louis--” he was jerking out of Louis's hold, eyes wild, and Louis was worried-- he couldn’t tell if the blood on his knuckles was Zayn’s, couldn’t pull Zayn the fuck away fast enough-- this was all stupid, all of this got out of hand.

“What it’s to you, mate?” the man said, wiping the blood off his lip where Zayn had just punched him. “Nancy-boy’s nails won’t break after a little frisk. Promise I was being _gentle_.” Even when Louis wasn’t looking at him he could feel the man’s leer like a heavy hand.

Zayn spat on the ground in front of him, eyes never leaving the man’s, and fuck, that was blood, Zayn spat out fucking blood. “There’s plenty more where that came from.” Zayn growled and it scared Louis. Zayn’s supposed to be level-headed, calm, cool, not-- _fuck_ \-- Zayn made as if he was going to go at the man again, the idiot just standing there, as if knowing his existence was enough of a goad and Louis heard the sound of fabric ripping as Zayn lunged and Louis held fast onto his shirt. Zayn didn’t seem to care.

“Mate--” Louis began again, hands latched on his arm harder now, “--It’s not worth it. I’m fine, see? Fine. Not hurt. He just pushed me ‘round a little, nothing--” He tugged a little more insistently, “Let’s go. Let’s go-- come on, yeah? He’s not worth it.”

Zayn looked down at him, looked as if he was just about to tell Louis to fuck off again, but Louis's gaze held. “Come on,” Louis pleaded, “Don’t want to make this a bigger issue than it already is. Please.”

And there must have been something in the way he said “Please,” the way it broke around the edges, not that different from when Louis's voice strained to hit a note just a little out of his range, vulnerable, wavering, that made Zayn clench his jaw and nod. “Right.” He didn’t look happy about it but he did put an arm around Louis shoulders as extra measure before looking over his shoulder and promising to the asshole,

“If I ever fucking catch you even _looking_ at him again, I will snap your neck. Do you understand?”

Even when the comment wasn’t directed at him, Louis's blood ran cold. Zayn meant those words.

The man just laughed, open palms up in pretend defense, teeth stained with his own blood, “I just came out for a _fag_ , right? No harm, no foul.”

Louis's grip tightened on Zayn’s arm as if he just might bolt to pummel the man’s mouth into the cement, could feel Zayn’s arm around him tense, but they kept walking. Walking. Walking.

It wasn’t until they were in the taxi, three blocks down, Zayn’s arm still slung around Louis protectively, did Louis fall apart and start crying.

“Fuck, Zayn, _fuck_.”

Zayn was rubbing his fingers in soothing circles around his friend’s shoulder, leg bouncing, face turned toward the window looking like he wanted nothing more in the world than to go back and finish what was started. “He’s gone now, the tosser. Glad I got there when I did. Fuck him, Louis. Hey, look at me. He won’t touch you again. All right?”

Louis couldn’t stop the fucking tears, shit, but he was nodding anyway. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He swallowed, he didn’t know how long of a shower he’d have to take to forget the feeling of the man’s coarse hands on his hips, throwing him against the wall, holding a knife to his throat. He told Louis if he stayed quiet he might even make it enjoyable for him. He could still hear the sick, sick sound of the man unzipping his pants. He had no idea what he would’ve done if Zayn hadn’t come out for a smoke. Louis was shaking, shaking. “Don’t tell Harry, yeah? Don’t tell him what happened. Don’t want him to worry, you know? Bloody hell, next to a church of all places…”

“Yeah, ‘course not. Promise, mate. Never happened.” He hugged Louis tighter to him, and in his peripheral Louis saw Zayn’s hand clench and unclench, his knuckles still caked with blood.

 


	7. Instagram Direct Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this drabble, Zayn's relationship/wedding cancellation is implied to be a publicity stunt. The boys are congratulating him on it being (mostly) over.

**Prompt: Instagram Direct Messages**

 

 

**fakeliampayne** : Nice wedding cancel mate x

**niallhoran** : im buyin drinks Zayn’s place at 4 ?

**harrystyles** : Zayn did you get my text?

**niazkilam** : Yeah . 4 is early for drinkibg ? Thanks guys . Thanks Liam.

**louist91** : Payno gets a personal shoutout . ;)

**niazkilam** : shut up

**louist91** : capitol L and everything . xx

**harrystyles** : lol

**fakeliampayne** : haha

**louist91** : Iwatched Payno struggle w a reply for ten minutes ! Hahahaha

**niallhoran** : What beer am i bringing ? 4 is not early .

**harrystyles** : Not tequila please this time.

**louist91** : Tequila isnt a beer

**niallhoran** : Its a liquour

**louist91** : Bring whtever ill drink it. It all tastes the same after the third lol xx

**niazkilam** : I wont be home til 5

**niallhoran** : We’ll start early . i still have your key

**niazkilam** : fuck i need to change that lol

**harrystyles** : I know it’s not I’m just saying don’t bring it this time.

**louist91** : jesus welcome to the topic H we changed it five years ago .

**harrystyles** : I’m leaving this chat.

**fakeliampayne** : Me too

**louist91** : Hahaha xxx

**harrystyles** : ;)

**louist91** : 8===D ;)

**fakeliampayne** : Jesus

**niazkilam** : LOL

**niallhoran** : yeahwont bring the tequila

**niallhoran** : What am i buying ? at the store .

**niallhoran** : I already got apple juice in the trolley coz Liam

**fakeliampayne** : Thanks bro :D

**niazkilam** : I’m with Louis . Anything is fine

**niallhoran** : Ok i have apple juice , not tequila , and anything. you lads are shit help

**fakeliampayne** : Get what’s on sale

**louist91** : Harold is a cheap drunk so

**harrystyles** : You like it. ;)

**fakeliampayne** : What about snacks?

**fakeliampayne** : Want me to bring something ?

**fakeliampayne** : Zayn?

**louist91** : Zayn your boyfriend is asking you a question

**niazkilam** : Shut up

**niazkilam** : I have snack thanks Liam :)

**louist91** : capitol L

**louist91** : hahaha

**niazkilam** : I’m uninviting you

**fakeliampayne** : I’ll bring more crisps anyway niall n harry will clean out your cabinets

**niazkilam** : Thank you

**harrystyles** : I’m going to the gym after studio so will be late.

**louist91** : I’m the only gym you need

**niazkilam** : LOL

**fakeliampayne** : ahahaha

**niallhoran** : tell Mark hi

**harrystyles** : Will do.

**louist91** : I feel so ignored

**fakeliampayne** : Harry control your man’s sex drive

**harrystyles** : I’m trying but he keeps coming back for more. ;)

**niazkilam** : how do you think the fans will react to our collab

**niallhoran** : I bought a six pack…of everything on sale

**niallhoran** : Theyre going to cry.

**louist91** : I cried ad i’m singing it

**fakeliampayne** : No joke Zayn best lyrics you ever wrote

**niazkilam** : :D

**fakeliampayne** : Glad you wrote one with us in mind

**niazkilam** : I always have you lads in mind

**harrystyles** : Are they flirting?

**niallhoran** : Its too subtle for you and Lou ahahaha

**louist91** : Did they have this much sexual tension before ?

**fakeliampayne** : Can I not appreciate my friends

**louist91** : ...assets ? Finished your sentence youre welcome

**niazkilam** : hahahaha

**niazkilam** : I miss you all. See you at 5 .

**niazkilam** : minus louis

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated/added drabbles in like 5 days. I was working on another drabble that was supposed to be part of this series but it expanded into a full fic so I posted it separately. It's called "Sonder" and it's up now if anyone's curious. =) Considering continuing it too. Anyway-- back to drabbles!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments are the only way fanfic authors get paid! =)


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